


Across the Water

by ATTHS_TWICE



Series: A Year of Prompts [4]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Boat Sex, F/M, Flirting, Happy, Islands, Love, Napping, Ocean, Oral Sex, Picnics, Poetry, Post-Movie: The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008), Vacation, Walks On The Beach, Warm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:20:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29123325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ATTHS_TWICE/pseuds/ATTHS_TWICE
Summary: After the events of I Want To Believe, Mulder and Scully need that warm vacation. They need to reconnect and get away from the cold snowy spring and the darkness surrounding them.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Series: A Year of Prompts [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090493
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	Across the Water

**Author's Note:**

> The next in the year of prompts, based off a picture on Twitter and a comment made that I imagined the day happening this way. 
> 
> I love the end of that movie, seeing them in that rowboat, heading off to an unknown island, happy and definitely flirting with one another. 
> 
> Also, there is a black and white picture of David and a model, who I believe was his girlfriend at the time. As we don't see her head, I like to think of it as MSR. So...
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

_April 2008_

Scully stared at Mulder as he rowed the small rowboat across the water, the island ahead getting closer. Her eyes took in the motion of his arms, appreciating the strength in his muscles and the bareness of his chest. He was concentrating on the task at hand and no doubt unaware of her wandering eyes. 

Or the thoughts in her head. 

She let out a heavy sigh, crossed her legs and kicked her foot lightly. Keeping an eye on him, his attention still elsewhere, she unbuttoned her coverup, leaving it tied, but far more open than it was when they got into the boat, the warm sun shining down. 

“We’ll go someplace warm,” he had whispered the night after Christian’s surgery, his arms around her, their discussion from hours earlier picking up where it had left off. 

She had come home, her coat and shoes shed at the door with a shiver, before she collapsed beside him on the couch and he pulled her close. Snow had started falling on her drive home, thick flakes that stuck to the ground. It had been predicted they would have four to six inches the next day, with even more snow in the forecast. 

“Warm sounds exquisite,” she had whispered back, his hand moving to her hair and bringing on her tears. Exhaustion, relief, stress, and continuing worry were all released as he had held her, humming and letting her cry. 

In the two weeks during Christian’s recovery, as she would not hear of leaving before she knew for sure he was improving, Mulder had planned their getaway to an island she had never even heard of; a decent sized island with smaller ones surrounding it.

He had shown her photos of it one night, her eyes barely open, as she nodded and hummed, not truly caring _where_ they went, as long as they went somewhere. Together. 

His answering chuckle had been the last thing she had heard before she fell asleep, dreaming of warm sand squishing between her toes. 

A month away had been scheduled, as two weeks had not felt nearly long enough. She desperately needed a break and he needed to be _out,_ no longer forced to remain cooped up in their little house. 

They had spent a week at the fancy resort on the island and for the first two days, they had not even left their bungalow. She had slept a lot, better than she had in a very long time, while Mulder sat on the small porch with a book, the sun warming the day. 

When she had woken, happy and warm, her eyes had found his and with a grin he had risen from his chair. Food he had ordered was brought to the table and they had eaten together, before falling back into bed. Together this time, naked and happy, the warm wind blowing in as they had made love.

After those first two relaxing days, they had finally left the room. Exploring the island, they had gone on hikes, eaten at wonderfully delicious restaurants, and swam in the warm ocean, day or night. With his arms around her and his lips at her neck, she had felt alive again. 

There had not been many people in the other bungalows. Perhaps they had been looking for a more “interactive” vacation, one with a more jam packed schedule, but for them it had been perfect. Secluded, serene, and beautiful. 

After the resort, two weeks on a private was planned. Just the two of them, waking up somewhere different every morning, having traveled around the islands, dropping anchor wherever they wanted. They were nearly a week in and she loved it.

They made meals in the small galley, the cupboards fully stocked, nearly always getting distracted as they touched and bumped into one another, meals postponed, the small table used for other activities. 

Now, they were heading to a particular island she had been looking at for a couple of days, wondering what secrets it held. He had shaken his head as he helped her into one of the small rowboats that were available to borrow. His smile told her all she needed to know concerning what he thought about the “secrets of the island,” muttering the lottery numbers from _Lost_ as she glared at him warningly. 

“We could have gotten closer with _our_ boat,” she said, looking behind her and then back at him. They were about halfway between their island and the one to which they were headed. 

“Hmm,” he grunted, rowing again and she licked her lips before biting the bottom one, watching his muscles work. 

God, he was sexy. 

“Do you disagree? Is that what that grunt was for?” 

“No. It’s because I set forth a challenge and I’m now regretting it just a bit,” he said with a grin and another grunt. 

“Which was what?” 

“I thought I could do with a little exercise,” he grinned and she laughed, looking at the wide expanse of water. 

“I’d say you’re in for it then, you silly man.” 

“Hmm,” he hummed and she smiled as she shook her head. 

She heard a sound like a boat behind them and thought how smart they were to use one with a motor to reach their destination. Of course, if they _had_ used the boat with the motor, she would have missed out on the show in front of her. His arms may be tired later, but for her at least, it would all be worth it. 

The sound got closer, and she realized it was not a boat, but a very small plane, flying low over the water, and rising up as it was overhead. 

“Pretty sure that plane flew out here just to see you in that bathing suit,” he told her, his eyes running over her body as he took a deep breath. 

“Or it could be to see _you_ in _yours,_ ” she countered, bouncing her leg slowly, happy she had opened her cover further, loving the way she felt when his eyes were on her. 

“Let’s give them a little wave. Let them know how much we appreciate their self esteem boost.” 

She laughed with a nod, looking up at the plane above them and waving. He turned, looking over his left shoulder and also waved, laughing as the plane grew smaller in the sky. He turned back and winked at her as he once more began to row. She licked her lips again, her desire for him growing, despite having had sex only a couple of hours ago. 

She felt insatiable on this trip, always wanting more of him. They had been less physical of late and now… being there, it had awakened a need for him, an ache she could not and did not want to ignore. 

She wanted him, but she also knew it was still quite a ways to the island, and she did not want to end up in the water, trying unsuccessfully to get back into the boat and swimming to shore when she was unable to stop laughing. Biding her time, she decided to tease him, wanting him to feel the same desire she was experiencing. 

“So other than discovering if the _others_ do indeed live on that little island, what exactly are you interested in finding there?” he asked and she smiled.

“Nothing really, I suppose,” she answered, running her right hand up and down her thigh, across her stomach, and to the top of her bikini top. Both hands now adjusted the top, before she closed her cover up a bit, wanting to see his response. 

She looked at him and he shook his head, sighing loudly and rowing with extra force. She smiled as she brought her hair over her shoulder and twisted it slowly between the fingers on her left hand. 

“Scully,” he warned and she laughed, letting go of her hair, and touching his knee with her foot. “Do you want to end up in the water?” 

“Are you going to _throw_ me in?” 

“Would it cool you down?” 

She looked him up and down slowly, her eyes staying on certain spots longer than others, watching him squirm, even as he continued rowing. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and shook her head. 

“No… it wouldn’t.” 

“Then you better do something besides-”

“Simply sit here?” she asked with an innocent expression. He laughed and shook his head, his eyes dancing. 

“Right… you’re just _sitting_ there. Looking like that. Looking _at_ me like that… mm-hmm.” The oars slapped the water hard as he rowed more forcefully, raising his eyebrows at her. “Completely innocent…” 

“I am. I’ve not said anything to suggest otherwise.” 

“You don’t need to _say_ anything,” he assured her with a smile. “You just need to be.” 

“Be what?” she asked, smiling as she fiddled with the tie on her cover up, debating whether to let it open completely or not. He chuckled with a glance behind him, and she looked too. Not too much further now. “You haven’t answered my question.” 

“Oh, I did. You just want to pull me into your little game,” he stated, looking back at her and shaking his head. “I’m not falling for it, Miss Scully.” 

“My game? I have no idea what you’re insinuating, _Mister_ Mulder.” 

“Oh… you know _exactly_ what you’re doing.” He gave her a look, pulled the oars up, and mimed her touching her top and pulling her cover up closed. She laughed and he smirked as he began to row again, nodding his head triumphantly. 

“Well… just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.” She grinned and he chuckled. 

“Paying attention…” he scoffed. “As if I could help doing anything _but_ pay attention when you’re sitting right in front of me, practically naked, the coconut scented sunscreen _I_ helped you apply blowing into my nose, and your very obvious flirting...” He stared at her, his eyes full of fire, and desire pooled in her stomach, causing her to catch her breath. “Yeah… I’m paying attention.” 

“Good,” she said and he nodded, his eyes running over her body again. She untied her cover up, letting the wind pull it open and he shook his head with a deep exhale, the oars once more hitting the water with force. She laughed quietly, running her fingers through her hair and closing her eyes. 

“ _Just_ sitting there.” She heard him mutter and she smiled, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye before closing them again, lifting her face to the sun. 

She listened to his small grunts and the oars slapping the water, finding it to be surprisingly erotic, something she had not anticipated when they began this journey across the water. 

_“My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red, than her lips red-”_

“Mulder…” she warned, not looking at him, but letting him know he needed to behave himself. He knew how much she loved when he recited poetry. He chuckled and she shook her head, as the sun warmed her skin. 

_”If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks.”_

She turned her head and narrowed her eyes at him, even as she began to breathe hard. He smiled, the picture of innocence. She shook her head again and he shrugged. Closing her eyes again, she waited, but he said nothing more. 

For a couple of minutes anyway. 

_“And in some perfumes is there more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound.”_

She moaned and opened her eyes, turning to look at him. His eyes stayed on hers, dark and intense, and somehow she restrained herself from launching into his arms. God… he drove her crazy. 

_“I grant I never saw a goddess go, my mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: and yet by heaven, I think my love as rare, as any she belied with false compare.”_

Neither aware they were reaching shore, the bump onto the sand took them by surprise, both of them lurching in their seats. They looked around and then she did throw herself at him. He dropped the oars and caught her as she landed in his lap, kissing him senseless, the waves crashing into the boat and rocking them gently. 

“God, you make me crazy,” she whispered against his mouth, feeling his arousal, knowing they would never make it out of the boat at this rate. 

“The feeling is very mutual,” he whispered back, his hands under her cover up, moving to cup her breasts over her suit, pinching her nipples in the web of his fingers. 

Her head dropped back as he pushed her top up, sucking a nipple into his mouth and continuing to squeeze the other. She rocked against him, as the boat moved with the waves. 

She reached between them to undo his shorts, pulling at the strings and the Velcro. He grunted as she stroked him through his suit and it made her think of him rowing the boat, the oars slapping the water hard as he did. 

As though reading her mind, he moved his hand from her breast and slapped her ass. She stared at him in surprise, even as it aroused her. She watched his tongue circle her nipple and she nodded, letting him know she liked it. 

All of it. 

He nodded as his teeth grazed her nipple, both hands grabbing her ass, slapping it and then holding her closer to him. She moaned, fumbling with the ties, needing to feel him. To have him inside of her. 

Somehow, unable to see what she was doing, she got them open just as pulled her bottoms to one side. Working together, they attained their goal, and he lifted her enough to slide down his length, both of them breathing hard. 

Pulling back, she looked at him, her hands moving to his hair and gripping it tightly. He smiled, the one she knew all too well, and she raised up as a wave crashed into the boat again. 

“Holy shit,” he whispered as she sank back down, working with the rhythm of the rocking boat. 

“Mmm,” she moaned in agreement. 

The feel of him inside of her, her knees pressed into the hard wood of the boat seat, the towel laid upon it not exactly adding any cushion, combined with the fact they were somewhere where someone _could_ possibly see them, made the act even more salacious. 

She arched into him, his hands helping to guide her, as she breathed his name, her sensitive breasts rubbing against the sparse hair on his chest. He pressed his thumb against her clit, but she whimpered and he moved it. She was already close and, without words, she told him she wanted to get there together. 

A bigger wave hit and he held her as she pitched forward and grabbed him, the motion sending her over the edge, and she screamed out his name. He groaned, his fingers digging into her waist as he thrust up, burying his face in her chest as he followed her over that edge, her name breathed hotly into her skin. 

She continued to rock into him as the waves crashed and receded, the sound nearly as loud as the blood pounding in her ears. She licked her lips and held him close, his hands slowly caressing her back, his lips kissing the sides of her breasts. 

“Oh… hmm,” she sighed, and then she chuckled. He pulled his head back to look at her and she smiled. “I’ve never become so turned on while in a rowboat before.” He chuckled and smacked her ass, causing her to gasp. 

“Once again, the feeling is very mutual,” he said, and she kissed him, scratching at his scalp, eliciting a moan from him. A few short, fast kisses and she pulled back with a smile. He caressed her ass and then helped her to move, her knees slightly weak, as she stood and adjusted her top. 

They got out of the rowboat, making sure it was up high enough in the sand before she stripped off her cover up and tossed it into the boat. Looking back at him, she walked toward the water and he smiled as he hurried toward her, scooping her up and placing her on his shoulder. 

“No!” she yelped with a laugh, hitting his back as she watched the sand disappearing and felt the water spray up as he splashed into the shallows and kept going. “Mulder! Put me down!” 

“You sure?” he teased and she laughed again, slapping _his_ ass this time, and he hollered. 

_“Set_ me down, please. Don’t throw me.” 

“As you wish.” 

He set her down gently and the cool water on her warm flesh caused her to gasp and goosebumps to appear. But it was not for long, as the water was actually quite warm, she simply needed to become accustomed to it. 

They swam around for a little while, laughing as they cooled off. He chased her but she darted away from him, quicker than a fish, always just out of his reach. 

“You’re like a mermaid,” he teased, when he finally caught her, pulling her close, her legs wrapping around his waist. “But without the annoying tail that gets in the way. How _do_ mermaids have sex? Have you ever wondered?” She laughed with a shake of her head as she kissed him, the mermaid question forgotten as they kissed and floated in the water. 

Getting out, they forego using a towel, deciding instead to let the warm sun dry them as they walked hand in hand around the small island. They pointed out things of interest, though there was not much to be discovered that could not have been enjoyed on _their_ island. Rocks, trees, shells, birds squawking in the sand and the air were all present in both places. 

But it was different somehow, as though they were the only two people on earth. Where they were anchored on the other island, there was another boat, aways off, but still close. Here it was just them and it was quiet and calm. So welcome after the past couple of months. 

They walked back to the boat, Mulder carrying a rather large shell to bring back with them, and took out the small lunch they had prepared. A blanket was laid on the sand and they sat down to eat. 

“I think you need another layer of sunscreen,” he said when they had finished their food, kissing her shoulder, his fingers running slowly up her thigh. She shuddered as she reached for it, handing it to him to apply it to her back for her. 

Her back done, he continued applying sunscreen in many places she could have done herself, though not in ways that made her body tingle and her pulse race. 

“Wouldn’t want you to get burned here,” he murmured, his lips at the waistband of her suit, his teeth pulling at it and his fingers tugging, as she once again gripped his hair. 

Her cries made the birds scatter, or so he told her teasingly, as he kissed his way up her stomach. She could only hear the waves and the pounding in her ears, her body still thrumming as she caught her breath. 

His kiss tasted of her expensive coconut scented sunscreen and herself. The heady combination caused her to feel intoxicated, as though she’d had too much wine. She felt light headed as he kissed the hollow of her throat, the tops of her suit covered breasts, and the small scar on her stomach. 

He nuzzled at her, laying his head on her stomach just under her breasts, his lips kissing gently as his arms held her. She buried her fingers in his hair and ran her nails softly on his shoulder with her other hand. He sighed contentedly and she smiled as she closed her eyes. 

A yelp from him woke her at the same time she felt water tickling her toes. They jumped up, laughing at the waves coming in closer as they scrambled to grab the items before the ocean lay claim to them. 

Everything accounted for, Mulder helped her into the boat before he pushed it into the water, jumping in and rowing hard past the breakers. She put her cover up back on, the wind picking up as they got beyond the shore. 

“Well,” Mulder said and she looked at him with a smile. “I was a little skeptical about the need to go _all_ the way over to it, but… Sex Island was definitely worth seeing.” 

“Sex Island?” she asked, laughing as she raised her eyebrows

“Yup,” he answered with a nod and a grin. “I mean, I’m sure it has an _official_ name, but...” He shrugged and she laughed again as he winked and began to row in earnest. 

She took a deep breath and watched the little island becoming further away, the sun beginning to set, the sky the iridescent blue she loved so much. Closing her eyes, she listened to the crash of the oars, the seagulls in the distance, and the water lapping around them. 

Opening her eyes, she looked at the man sitting across from her. The one who fought the darkness beside her and who fought even harder to find the light, allowing it to shine through when it was desperately needed the most. Who rowed across the water, twice, to investigate an island simply because she was curious about it. 

And she smiled. 

**Author's Note:**

> The poem that Mulder recites is Shakespeare's Sonnet 130. I think that Mulder knowing vast amounts of... everything, but especially poetry, is a huge turn on for Scully. He knows it and he loves to get her going by reciting it.


End file.
